While we don’t know if Neymar will some day win the Ballon d’Or with Paris Saint-Germain, we can say with confidence that he’s dramatically increased his chances of winning the FIFA Puskas Award by joining the Ligue 1 side.
PSG scored six goals against Toulouse on Sunday, and they were all pretty exceptional.
THIS IS JUST ABSURD NEYMAR.
Let's get the expected out of the way. Yes, Neymar made his Paris Saint-Germain debut. Yes, he scored the final goal in PSG's 3-0 win over Guingamp. Yes, he made a delicious assist to Edinson Cavani.
But how about that own goal? What in the heck?
GOOOAAALLLL!!!!
Neymar wasn’t available for selection in Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 opener against Amiens on Saturday, but that really didn’t matter.
Believe it or not, there's news out of Ligue 1 this week that doesn’t involve Neymar. Did you know the league started play today? Yes, before Neymar makes his anticipated debut with Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, Ligue 1 opened with defending champion Monaco facing off against Toulouse.
Barcelona, a club not used to losing star players, accepted the largest transfer fee of all-time as Paris Saint-Germain funded the release clause for Brazilian striker Neymar on Thursday. The $263,480,000 fee didn’t just shatter the old record, it eviscerated it, more than doubling the $117.6 million Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba.
It isn't just a rumor anymore. Neymar has completed his move from Barcelona to PSG. Earlier today, Barcelona announced Neymar and his father had activated the Brazilian forward's buyout clause and now PSG have announced Neymar has officially joined the team.
PSG announced the move with this extremely cryptic tweet:
In a statement Thursday, Barcelona announced the fee to trigger Neymar's release clause had been paid by Neymar and his father, making the Brazilian attacker a free agent.
Barcelona's statement in full:
There is a myth that jersey sales can help recuperate the transfer fee for a new player, that a player’s popularity can overcome a high asking price for a player. The fact is, Neymar’s $263 million release clause to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain will hardly be dented by the French club selling a few more jerseys.
Let’s take a look at some numbers.
Meet Amine Harit, a French U-20 attacking midfielder who just arrived at Schalke 04 via Nantes for $9.5 million. He's not a global sponsor for Nike, Gillette, Panasonic or Beats by Dre, he's never had his own custom Air Jordan sneakers or been featured on the cover of Pro Evolution Soccer, but he remains one of the brightest attacking talents in world football today.
So, Neymar to PSG is really heating up now. After Barcelona admitted Neymar said he wanted to leave and Messi said goodbye on Instagram, the Brazilian forward is reportedly in Porto to undergo a medical. The big story right now (read: for like the next 15 minutes until something else insane happens) is Neymar's PSG contract, which, according to Sky Sports, is a whopper.